Iraq War Woes Deepen Internal Pentagon Tensions

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040530/pl_nm/iraq_rumsfeld_pentagon_dc&cid=615&ncid=1480

<snip>
Even before the Iraq war some senior officers chafed under the guidance of Rumsfeld and his team, including Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Stephen Cambone.

Retired officers and defense analysts said the problems have worsened during a war in which critics accuse Rumsfeld's team of neglecting to provide enough troops to stabilize Iraq after ousting Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), botching the planning for the postwar period, and failing to anticipate and later comprehend an insurgency that threatens the mission with failure.

"The war itself has led to, rightly or wrongly, the feeling among many in the military that they're not receiving competent direction, that it is too ideological, and that a lot of their military efforts have been wasted by what they regard as poor, inept planning for the stability phase," said Anthony Cordesman, a former Pentagon official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The military, particularly the Army, has been strained mightily in maintaining troop levels in Iraq far higher than the Pentagon had forecast. Faced with a relentless insurgency, the Pentagon ordered 20,000 troops to remain three months longer than promised, and scrambled to find ways to maintain the current count of 138,000 troops there through the end of 2005.

[kalian]

1. I wonder....

whether the military is poised for a military coup? I'm serious.
After what has transpired in Iraq and with this phony "war on terror"
I'm wondering how many Constitutionally loyal military brass are
quietly contemplating such an action.

The US has a severe case of political cancer. Our politicians are
corrupt and there's no way that we can undo the damage that they
have caused...except maybe by taking them out, in more ways than one.

I think the elections will be a MAJOR turning point in American
history. Which ever way they go, I have a feeling that America will
be changed forever. We may live under martial law for a while but
not because some politician decided it so, but because our own
military might be trying to save the Republic.

This is another venue which I have been thinking about for quite
some time. I call it the "third alternative".

[Mandate My Ass]

4. The torture scandal

I believe, was the first salvo from the military
aimed at the Pentagon. They hate the "sometimes
prickly" Rumsfeld and if the man had any honor at
all, he would have resigned in the face of the
scandal that had his fingerprints and approval all
over it.

I believe there will be more leaks until hopefully
the house of cards collapses. God knows the ineptitude
and corruption behind this Iraq debacle is totally
unprecedented.

[PaDUer]

5. We need those leaks to happen now...

and we need ALL those pix/videos that they're hiding away from the people to come out NOW.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. I bet Bush loses a lot of military votes

I've heard it said the military votes Republicans, but I have a feeling that a lot of them-and their families-and veterans-will be voting Kerry this year.

[maddezmom]

3. more and more former military, CIA and FBI are speaking out

the whole gov't is a disgrace under this administration.

[PaDUer]

6. It's about time..

these pukes need to be gone now..we can't wait til election time. Let the military coup happen and right to gitmo with the entire bunch of thugs/murderers.